Straits Bakery: Hidden Peranakan eatery serving $9.80 lunch sets like ayam buah keluak at Havelock 2

Straits Bakery is a Peranakan eatery located at Havelock 2 which serves $9.80 lunch sets. How did I discover them? Well, my mum told me about it. She chanced upon them via a random Facebook post that popped up on her feed.

Growing up as a half Peranakan, I had the privilege of savouring my grandma’s amazing cooking. Now that she no longer has the capability to do so, I’m constantly on the hunt for new Peranakan food establishments. After walking around like a headless chicken, I finally found Straits Bakery at a quiet corner in the basement— and it was huge!

The whole eatery had a modern yet rustic feel to it with ample seats, separated into 2 sections. I even spotted an ice cream and waffles corner.

Their cakes are crafted by the ex-chef of the now-defunct cafe called The Bakery Chef, which used to be at Bukit Merah Central which I’d visited many years ago. The lovely cakes at the glass display invoked a sense of nostalgia and familiarity. 

What I tried at Straits Bakery

I embarked on my Peranakan voyage with Set A – Ayam Buah Keluak (S$9.80). It had a chicken drumstick, blue pea rice, fish keropok, omelette, cucumber sticks, a dish of sambal belacan and achar. All the lunch sets come with a glass of Straits Iced Tea.

The blue pea rice was aesthetically pleasing with its varying shades of baby blue and white. Short-grained rice was used, which was slightly starchier than the normal jasmine variation.

Let’s talk about the pièce de résistance of the dish, the ayam buah keluak. The flesh of the nuts was scooped out and infused into the sauce.

The gravy was thick and dark, making the piece of chicken thigh look like it had participated in a gothic cosplay event.

For those unacquainted with buah keluak, it is an acquired taste— just imagine a fusion of black truffle and fermented black beans.

The flesh from the chicken thigh was tender and had absorbed all the robust flavours of the sauce. In terms of taste, it was authentic and tasted like a carbon copy of my grandma’s. Win!

I tried pairing the chicken with the sambal belacan, which resulted in a multi-dimensional experience. The sambal had tangy notes of citrus, which uplifted the umami flavours of the fermented shrimp coming from the belacan.

I wanted to go for Set C – Nyonya Babi Pongteh (S$9.80), but it wasn’t available. And so, I decided to order Set D – Fried Chicken with Cucu Sambal (S$9.80) instead. I resonated with the word “cucu” which means grandchild in Peranakan, a word my grandma used to introduce me to my relatives.

It was a fried chicken cutlet smothered in an orangey sambal which looked intimidating. Similar to the previous dish, the rest of the dish had the same ingredients.

I mentally prepared myself for the impending heat of the sambal on top, but nothing happened. The sambal wasn’t spicy at all, but instead had interesting textural bites of garlic, shallots and other spices.

Like the saying, “the best things come when you least expect them to”, this fried chicken with the cucu sambal was unexpectedly delicious!

The omelette had thinly-sliced long beans in it which gave it some crunch. I had fun snacking on the fish keropok in between, and dunking them into the sambal was super shiok.

Perhaps my only slight displeasure with the dish was the achar. It needed a little more acidic tang to hit the spot for me.

I also ordered a side dish of Penang Otak (S$4), which was garnished with sprigs of chilli and kaffir lime leaves.

The taste was spot-on, but it was a bit too hard and dry for me. If it was softer and more moist, the Penang Otak would have been perfect. What a pity!

Finally, we ended things off with a beautiful Kueh Salat Cheese Cake Slice (S$5). It was visually stunning with pastel shades of blue and green. Just look at it!

For avid coconut fans, this cake will be right up your alley. It had strong whiffs of pandan and coconut milk flavour infused into the velvety-smooth cheese. It certainly was the perfect ending!

Final thoughts

The next time you’re in the Clarke Quay vicinity, head on over to Havelock 2 and give Straits Bakery a try. Their dishes are tasty and wallet-friendly at the same time, and there’s no service charge as well.

I’m already planning my next visit to savour their other dishes… can’t wait!

Expected damage: S$10 – S$16.50 per pax

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